JULY - AUGUST 20259ELECTRICAL BUSINESS REVIEWSometimes, solutions are difficult to find due to various reasons, so the general contractor is required to step in as the referee to avoid a stalemate. While stressful at times due to constraints and tight deadlines, I believe in this process and offer a big "thank you" to all the professionals I've worked with who've remained open-minded and flexible when it comes to creative problem-solving. For this process to work, it's crucial for all share partners to be on board and participate.SoftwareAt my company, this department started in 1992 as the "Detailing" department, collecting information and hand drafting with a good old pencil, scale ruler, and lots of erasers. We advanced to using computers and AutoCAD and then AutoCAD MEP to develop our layouts and generate shop drawings. New software always takes time to adjust and identify best practices. With AutoCAD, we spent years developing processes, user guides, quick access tools, and a great project startup package. When Revit was introduced to the industry, it became more popular and inevitably became the preferred software; it was a true "disruptor." The Revit file is not just a holistic "model", but every view is a live look at it, floor plans, Isometric plans, ceilings, sections, and elevation views. The sheets, schedules, libraries, and legends are all in one Revit file. Instead of managing many non-live files and references that can become disconnected, it's all in one with Revit. Fully adopting this software took years. We had to completely revise our process, learn a whole new software, and build a library of components needed. Revit is a dynamic program driven by data, with every element having a relationship to the model and hosting a series of defining parameters that allow for bidirectional scheduling. The ability to write schedules to quantify elements and even filter down to type, level, or area was such an advantage that Revit forced us to rethink the whole process.ChallengeLike most other industries, the construction industry tends to face challenges that cycle between economy, labor, commodities, and manufacturing. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, construction labor costs increased by 20 percent in the last two years. Construction materials have increased prices by an average of 30 percent in the past couple of years. In addition to elevating costs, material and equipment procurement has become ever increasingly difficult to predict. Availability and "on-time delivery" have become so tight in the supply chain that timing affects the commissioning and project completion dates.Usually, the expected cost raises are built into estimates for projects constructed over long time frames, but these inflated increases and backups in manufacturing have had real impacts on the industry. Electrically speaking, large, project-specific, and custom-built equipment like switch gear and circuit breakers have become the biggest challenge for electrical contractors. Using our BIM tools and processes, we've explored a series of options related to each of these challenges. Can we substitute equipment or material? What would that look like? Can we adjust the construction sequence to accommodate available commodities and labor? What would that look like? I find that the ability to foresee the problem and the tools to visualize several possible solutions positively impact all stakeholders. I wonder what's next and where "AI" might take us. The benefits and opportunities of the BIM process and Trade coordination activity have proven so valuable to the industry that it has become an expected activity in at least some part of every major building project now
< Page 8 | Page 10 >